The present disclosure generally relates to interactive communication systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods that determine a merchant rating.
Giving a tip to a merchant is the most direct and honest way to show your appreciation for good service. Perhaps the tip is given to the waitress that gave you an extra scoop of ice cream or the taxi driver that helped you carrying your heavy suitcases. You rate the service by giving an average or high tip, or maybe even no tip at all. However, if a patron is unfamiliar with local customs, he or she may not know what a customary average or high tip amount would be.
In addition, some patrons give a star rating to merchants. However, the star ratings have become meaningless since it is common practice to give 5 stars to anyone that gave average service and 1 star if the slightest aspect of the service was unsatisfactory. Yet, many patrons still rely on these somewhat unreliable star ratings when choosing a service merchant. Moreover, today many fake or dummy merchant reviews are posted on various consumer sites, further misleading consumers.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.